Iron-Parent

This week will be the official start of my training and racing endurance sport with a family (i.e. wife, child and dog).

Before March 1st, I had a wife and dog, and both of them were very supportive of my training and racing. Now I have a new family member that I am going to have to pay dues to, in order to get out the door to train and to pack up to go to races. At this stage she is giving the go ahead to all training sessions (I took her lack of response as consent…) and I am sure she will continue to support me as her beautiful mother does. But how will I cope with the time spent away from my family…? I have spoken with a few Iron-Dads and a lot of them say that even when they have the green light to train; they often drag their feet and find reasons to stay home. I can already feel that I am missing out, when I go to work.

I think it would be easy to put my training on the back burner or take time out, but I think my wife would concur that when I don’t train and sit around the house I go into hibernation and become less enjoyable to be around. I sleep for longer and do less around the house. I think that while my training may have to adapt to the new girl in my life (things are already more pink, that is for sure), it will continue be important to my well-being and to my ability to be a good parent (whatever that means).

P.S. As you may have picked up from this post, my baby daughter Alexandra (Ally) Wendy Duncan was born safe and sound on 1/3/09. Welcome to the Family Ally